Past Event

Steamboat Springs  Amp Live has been producing, mixing and churning out records for almost 20 years.

But his latest project, set for release this fall titled “My Headphone Concerto,” might have been the most difficult.

“It’s me by myself,” he said. “I got to think how I’m going to perform it. I can play music, but I’m not a super seasoned musician. I’ve had to do things a little bit slower. Everything on the album is live.”

It’s not a completely new experience for Amp Live, also known for his work as part of the rap duo Zion I. The producer and DJ has always had a futuristic sound complemented by live music and samples.

But the new album, although it will sound like it has samples, is all live, all new and all fresh.

“I pick a vibe stick to it,” he said. “Some people do a certain music and that’s it. For me, I have to paint a picture. I really think of ideas and carry them out in vibes I want.”

Amp Live will play Friday and Saturday at The Tap House Sports Grill. Both shows begin at 10 p.m. The cost is $10 and is good for both nights.

Friday will include local DJ Dra-la, and Saturday’s performance includes local DJ DJMT.

Amp Live decided on the direction for his new album after the recent success of a pair of extended plays, mainly 2012's "Kaleidoscope Theory." The EP featured Amp Live’s unique sound but incorporated more hip-hop, jazz, piano melodies, saxophone rifts and a heavy drum track as the background.

For Amp Live, who started with Zion I in 1996, the profession has become more of a job at points.

He said it’s 40 percent fun and 60 percent work. But the fun part, he said, is creating something new, unique and putting that in front of a live audience.

“Performing and making new music that sounds good, that’s the greatest part,” he said. “This is what I do. I don’t have a choice. I was born to be a musician and artist. It’s a driving force and naturally in me. I think of stuff and have to release it.”